Skater s



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. J. OOWING.

SKATERS APPLIANCE. No. 320,462. Patented June 23, 1885.

WITNESSES N. PETERS, PbolwLmwll-ipmn Wluhingiun. D. C.

JNITE ST PATE T 01mins WILLIAM J. COYVING, OF W'ASIHNGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SKATERS APPLIANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,462, dated June 23, 1885.

Application filed January 15, 1985. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. GOWING. of the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented a certain new and useful Appliance for Assisting in the Aequirement of the Art of Skating; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, and to the figures and letters of .reference marked thereon.

It is probably the experience of all who attempt to acquire the art of skating either upon ice with bladeskates, or upon any ordinary plane surface with roller-skates, that they find themselves at the outsethandicapped to a greater or less degree with a lack of confidence or fear of falling, or a physical inability to preserve their balance under the several conditions in which they are placed. With some the fear of falling discourages all effort at a trial by balancing. With others sheer clumsiness retards a progress otherwise marked by apparently unlimited confidence; while with still others a lack of both skill and confidence renders the acquirement of either quality a matter of almost impossibility, because regarded as too much of a trespass upon the time and attendance of friends or instructors.

To provide an appliance wholly under the control of the learner, by which he can at all times support himself in upright position and execute the movements required, skating with out the risk of a fall and without inconvenience to others, is the object of my invention; and to this end it consists of a certain novel construction and combination of parts, which I will first describe, and then point out partioularly in the claims at the end of this specificat-ion.

It further consists in special features of construction contributing to the lightness, strength, portability, and adjustability of the appliance, all as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention, and Fig. 1 shows the manner in which it is practically used. Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views showing the manner of connecting the upper ends of the uprights or supports. 4. is a perspective view of another form of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the position of the parts of the same when ready for storage or transportation. Fig. (5 is a detail View showing the connection between the uprights or standards and the lower bar, and also the mode of applying the casters.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate like parts.

The construction shown in Fig. 4 represents an embodiment of the invention in one of its simplest forms, and will therefore be first described. It consists of four uprights, A A A A, preferably inclined inwardly from bottom to top, and connected and braced by two bars, B B, applied at the bottom, and two bars, 0 0, applied at intermediate points, and all four con nccted at their upper ends to an open frame, D, of circular, elliptical, or other suitable form, as shown. In this form of device the uprights, the bars G G, and the open frame I) are preferably made of wood, while the lower bars, B B, preferably consist of curved iron bars having sockets b b at their ends, which receive and hold thclower ends ofthe uprights. As shown iu.Fig. 6; the bottom of each of these sockets supports the end of one of the uprights and contains an aperture, 6, through which the shank c of one of the casters E upon which the appliance runs is permitted to pass as it is driven up into the lower end of the upright. The top frame,]), is preferably made in three parts, (Z d d, the two former of which are connected together by a detachable fastening, f, and the latter of which is re movably connected to the front uprights, A A, by fastenings f f, as shown. Each of the intermediate bars, 0, is preferably hinged at one end to one of the uprights and connected by a suitable locking device, 0, to the other upright. From this construction it results that when the fastcnings eff are undone the whole frame-work can be separated into two parts and placed together, as shown in Fig. 5, for convenience in storage or transport-ation from place to place. \Vhen the framework is all together, as shown in Fig. 4, and it is desired to employ the appliance, the part d is removed, so as to enable the person to step into the frame. hen he is once in, the said part (1 is then replaced and locked. Standing now within the rame, the skater, by

grasping the side portions of the top frame or handles, 1 F, applied thereto, as shown, is sustained in an upright position, and if he has sufficient strength in his arms cannot by any possibility fall down, the width ofthe base of the framework being great enough to prevent the latter from turning over; but he is enabled to strike out freely, the size of the opening in the top frame,l),being sufficient to permit of the free movements of his body Without any interference whatever with said frame, and the height of the connecting-bars O C at front and rear being such as to permit of the requisite reach of his feet both forward and backward. Being entirely encircled by the top frame, he cannot fail over backward, even though his hold on such top frame should be lost. As he proceeds in his course the whole frame-wcu'k is carried along with him and rolls or slides easily and freely over the surface skated upon, adapting itself to all his movements. The whole structure made in this form is very light, cheap, and portable.

In the form of invention shown in Fig. l provision is made for the adjustment of the device to persons of different height. The lower connecting-bars are made in two parts, it h, the one slipping within the other and secured at the de:-*ired point of adjustment by means of set-screws It". The standards or uprights and the intermediate bars are also in like manner made in two parts and provided with similar means for holding them in adjusted position, and the same is true of the upper open frame. The upper ends of the uprights are jointed to the upper frame, so as to conform to the various adjustments.

I do not of course desire to limit myself to the employment of either wood or metal exclusively in the construction of this device, nor to the construction of any particular part of it, as combinations of these or other materials may be employed as considerations of cheapness, strength, durability, &c., may dietate; neither do I desire to be understood as limiting myself to the particular forms of fastening devices, rollers, or runners shown, as instead of them may be employed other and well-known forms, if desired.

I am aware that heretofore a rolling frame, consisting of uprights and cross bars or braces connected together in a manner to extend in front of and at the side of the user, has been proposed for the assistance of skaters; but such an appliance is but little better than a chair or other object which it is customary for beginners to use, since no protection is afforded the user should he loose his grasp upon the frame and fall backward. In my invention, however, the user is entirely surrounded by the upper frame, and it is impossible for him when within it to fall over to the ground in any direction, since the said frame will catch him and sustain him. Furthermore, if with my invention the user should run into the wall or railing surrounding the surface skated upon, it would be only necessary for him to turn around in the frame and proceed in the opposite direction, instead of being obliged to turn the frame itself completely around, as in the case of the contrivancc instanced.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Au appliance for assisting skaters, consisting, essentially, of uprights and standards adapted to travel over the su rface skated upon, and an open-top frame supported .upon said uprights at a height sufficient to give support to the users hands and adapted to entirely surround his body, the opening in said top frame being large enough to not only accommodate the users body, but also to admit of its free play therein, substantially as described.

2. In the herein-described appliance for assisting skaters, the combination, with the uprights mounted on rollers or runners, of the open-top frame adapted to entirely surround the body of the user and yet permit of the free play of the same therein, the lower bars or braces connecting the uprights at the sides and the upper bars or braces connecting the uprights at the front and rear above a point where interference with the fst-riking out of the user would take place, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the uprights, the bars connecting said uprights at sides, front, and rear, as described, and an open-top frame constructed with a removable section or sections for the purpose of conveniently admitting the users body within the frame, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the uprights, of the bars connecting the uprights at the sides, the detachable bars connecting the uprights at front and rear, and the open-top frame made up of separable parts, substantially as described.

5. In an appliance such as described, the combination of uprights, eonnecting-bars, and open-top frame, said parts all being made of sliding sections and provided with means for locking, whereby the device is rendered capable of adjustment to different-sized persons,

as set forth.

XVILLIAM J. COWING. VVit-nesses:

MELVILLE Cannon, A. S/STEUART. 

